Alshon Jeffery: The Chicago Bears X-Factor

Alshon Jeffery could very well be the key on offense for the Chicago Bears. The second year wide receiver is expected to line up opposite Brandon Marshall and take the next step in his progression as a No. 2 receiver.

Camp Trestman ended with Jeffery earning praise from Marshall, as well as first year head coach Marc Trestman. Jeffery also arrived to camp in great shape after dealing with multiple injuries in his 2012 rookie campaign. If those injury issues fall by the wayside, Chicago could become an offensive threat through the air.

The 6’3” wideout spent the offseason training with Marshall and has shown the ability to open up the field. Chicago drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft with the hope that he could make the Bears a threat on both sides of the hashes. If Alshon Jeffery takes his game to the next level, Chicago will have three legitimate receiving weapons to complement Matt Forte, their dual-threat running back. With Brandon Marshall opposite Jeffery, and new tight end Martellus Bennett working in between them, much-maligned quarterback Jay Cutler will spend less time on his back.

The work of Alshon Jeffrey in the offseason has been noticed nationally. Fantasy football experts and league analysts continue to pump up #17 as a player to watch.

In my work for The Fantasy Fix, I highlighted Alshon Jeffery as the key cog in Chicago’s offensive success. Losing one-third of the field hurts Cutler’s chances of adding an actual passing game to one of the better rushing attacks in the NFL.

Trestman’s variation of the West Coast offense demands precision passing and route running. Cutler’s interception on a ball thrown to Jeffery against Carolina was on Cutler. If the throw was on Alshon’s outside shoulder, all is well. Jeffery was praised for his route execution on the play, and has taken to the new offensive scheme as a whole.

Alshon Jeffery is a special talent on a team starving for young homegrown players. An oddball QB altered what was an exceptional college career at the University of South Carolina. From 2010 to 2011, Jeffery saw his receiving yards cut in half. The risk was there when the Bears traded up to get the receiver. 2013 appears to be the year when Bears fans, and the NFL, take notice of Jeffery and an improved offense in Chicago.

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